Special Issue 2 - Ershik

journal of senryu and kyoka
Special Issue 2
May, 2015
Editors:
Vladislav Vassiliev
Valeria Simonova-Cecon
Nataly Levi
Artist:
Tatyana Kosach
E-mail:
info@ershik.com
Copyright rshik 2012-2015 .
Content
Current Issue................................................................3
Editors Choice .......................................................................... 3
Senryu and Kyoka..................................................................... 8
Burashi.......................................................................................39
Submission Guidelines ............................................ 62
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Editors Choice
factory gates
spit out the night shift
into the mist
(Philmore Place)
At dawn, the workers exhausted by the night shift leave the factory. What can be
more mundane and ordinary? What made the author to depict this particular scene
in his poem?
Hidden in the background, I can see the life of a person, who has a poetical gift, but
who has to live in very unpoetical conditions. The factory gates can be viewed as a
symbol of the workplace, where each person is just a little screw in a large machine and
has value only when he works, when he produces something. All worn out screws are
thrown away into the morning mist, into the outside idle world that from the factory
gates point of view is beyond comprehension and therefore devoid of any value. For
the night shift workers, on the other hand, the factory gate is the borderline between
the world of dead machines and wasted time and the world of living things, where the
morning mist mercifully conceals the industrial suburban landscape and transforms the
factory buildings into magical castles, transforms little screws into animate creatures,
and the miller into a poet. Having said that, the author does not express his feelings
directly, but creates a piece of art out of an ordinary event, sketching it with reserved
and aloof strokes and reminding us that every moment of our life, every little detail,
however unimportant, has a deep existential meaning.
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the flea jumps

from a cat to a cat
into the new world
(Maurizio Petruccioli)
Senryu are often defined as poems about the world of people, internal as well as
external. And in most cases this is true. There are, however, many examples of senryu
both old and modern, where people are not visibly present. Instead of people, we see
animals, birds, insects and natural objects.
So, what differentiates these poems from haiku? One differentiating factor is
anthropomorphism attribution of human qualities and characteristics to nonhuman beings, such as animals, natural phenomena and objects.
Haiku poet acknowledges the natures right to remain nature. If the animals talk,
cry, even if they are happy or sad, they remain animals. The senryu authors, on the
other hand, give animals the qualities that can only be attributed to humans. To be
more precise, the senryu poets interpret the behaviour of animals exclusively from
the humans point of view. Here we can see hatred and kindness, pettiness and
magnanimity, greed and generosity, humility and pride, or, as we see here, passion
for exciting adventures and aspiration for exploring new worlds and galaxies
Vladislav Vassiliev
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house warming
the cat sniffs around
the movers bend their elbows
(Elina Vitomskaya)
The Japanese kosenryu (old senryu) of the XVIII century are often viewed by the
scholars as one of the historical sources, from which one can learn a lot about traditions,
customs and daily life of people of that epoch. Already in the earliest anthologies of
senryu, we come across poems that are nothing more than sketches of the day-to-day
life, in which the poet recreates the typical scenes of the Edo period in a couple of wellchosen words. This is the type of senryu that, I think, Elina managed to write. To create
a comic effect she uses the technique of repetition and juxtaposition (the cat sniffs
around / the movers bend their elbows) with an internal near rhyme of the assonant
verbs (in the Russian original k). This is not, however, just a humorous sketch its
a real keyhole, which we can look through and recognise a very familiar situation. Our
imagination instantly adds the rattle of an old piano that resists getting through the
door frame, the smell of fried eggs and bacon from next door and, of course, the cat,
which is traditionally let into the new apartment first.
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I like women
otherwise, my life
is problem free
(Marco Pilotto)
In one of his poems, the Russian poet Valery Bryusov said: You are a woman and this is
why youre right. The power of the weakness, which is a womans weapon of choice,
is a great power. The only thing a man can do fighting this unfair battle, is to admit,
maybe only to himself, that he is totally defenceless in the face of this power. Thats
what the protagonist of the senryu does. And this honest and humbling admission is
honourable. The ability to submit to love, to something bigger than self, is one step
(sometimes a very big one) towards realization that you are part of the Infinite. Only
this realization can satisfy the thirst in the boys heart, which starts beating faster for
the first time the moment he sees her smile and her eyes. The Supreme Being talks to
us in the language we all understand it touches us with the sun rays, with the wings
of a butterfly, with a hand of another person
Its worth noting that the protagonist in this senryu declares his love not to a particular
woman he loves them all. This makes us realize once again that very often we love
the love itself, but not the object of our affection. Regarding the problems, caused by
love well who said it would be easy?..
The poem is very brief and meaningful at the same time, which together with a surprise
in the third line, are its obvious strengths.
Nataly Levi
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in my mailbox
Life and science*
with the crossword solved
(Radka Mindova)
This lovely ku by Radka attracted our attention mostly because it leaves an aftertaste
similar to that of a good haiku, though its form and subject matter definitely put it
in the senryu category. It is a sketch from daily life, light and unpretentious, but its
meaning takes the reader far beyond the boundaries of the poem.
Sometimes, haiku are described as a moment of enlightenment when the door that
separates our life from the mysteries of the universe opens for a split second, and the
meaning of life suddenly becomes clear.
People search all their lives for the answers to the eternal questions. When these
answers, however, do not result from our own experience, mistakes and failures, but
are given by somebody on a silver plate, we feel cheated and disappointed, finally
realizing that the meaning of life is not in the answers but in the search for them.
Vladislav Vassiliev
*Life and science is a Russian monthly magazine carrying popular science content.
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senryu and Kyoka
first-former
around her neck, a cross
and a house key
Nikolay Grankin (Russia)
nice to be a grownup
making my own decision
about a nightlight
David Oats (USA)
wee hours hospital ward

one of those beeps
and boops is me
Barry George (USA)
next stop
Garden of Eden
no one alights
Milena Veleva (Bulgaria)
after death
the gamers go to
the real world
Leaves (Russia)
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crisis
Santa receives
a curriculum vitae
Marco Pilotto (Italy)
through my sunglasses
I look at the Venetian masks
philosophically
Hana (Israel)
French lessons
ended with marrying
the tutor
Bakhtiyar Amini (Tajikistan)
looking at a strange womans

expressionless face
he imagines it smiling
David Oats (USA)
empty canvas
each brush stroke,
a life story
Rita Odeh (Israel)
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haiku in my head
asking for a pen
she brings the bill
Freddy Ben-Arroyo (Israel)
the moment
the baby learnt how to smile
he learnt how to smirk
Takeshi Mizuno (Japan)
a journey of 1000 miles

starts with a strip search
at the airport
Mary Sue (USA)
sweating and cursing

construction workers build
the new temple
Barry George (USA)
without an iPhone
she looks around
timidly
Maurizio Petruccioli (Italy)
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Swaying float
The cat and its master
Freeze
Miroslava Slavnaya (Russia)
unfinished building
a glove under the fence
shows the finger
through the lit window

I see my therapists
other client
Miriam Sagan (USA)
clinking silence
unloading empties
from the lorry
Sergey Shpichenko (Ukraine)
BLACK FRIDAY
PROMOTIONS
a fight breaks out
in the software
department
Helen Buckingham (UK)
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winter moon
the way your eyelashes
open, close
Kanchan Chatterjee (India)
missing the movie

silently we watch
the sleeping cat
Agatha (Russia)
far off thunder

mothers words strike
a nerve
Shloka Shankar (India)
bluebells
the lonesome sound
of freight trains
Debbie Strange (Canada)
The bill poster

cure from all blown further away
by the wind
Marsel March (Russia)
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after a long sleep

it woke up angry and fresh
my wisdom tooth
Sam Poe (Israel)
Sunday morning
pickled cabbage soup with garlic,
a slice of lard
and a long aftertaste
of the freezer cabinet
Alexey Fan (Russia)
dive in! they shout already

but I will enquire once more
about the depth
Alexey Fan (Russia)
The cuckoo song

Lured me into the woods
Until I got lost
Andrey List (Russia)
backpacks
on top of each other
we crack the third flask
Radion Khuzin (Russia)
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crisis
broadening
politicians smiles
Andrea Cecon (Italy)
election campaign
the holiday greetings
via intercom
Chinese whispers
our vows now long
forgotten
flea market
someones paper heart
among the trinkets
Philmore Place (Belarus)
snowflake collector
with cloak over his shoulder
waiting for catch
Vasa Radovanovi (Serbia)
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Duty Free
New York Yankees cap
Made in China
basket of fake fruit

and the shop girls face
both sloppily painted
Shen (Russia)
for twenty minutes

this blonde is Buddha, too
clay face mask
La Pen (Russia)
smiling at matryoshka
that looks so much like
my granddaughter
Spring Granddad (Japan)
the sun in the sea

whether out of jealousy
the red sky?
Damir Damir (Serbia)
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were they dyed by dawn?

neighbours adore our roses
blooming and swaying
supported by the old rope
my daughter used to jump with
Eiko Yachimoto (Japan)
nagging
about the stairs
while liking to step dance
Asaoka Shinji (Taiwan)
a fat guy taking up sport

will probably pass for
a sumo wrestler
Iriewani (Japan)
alumni night
our beer bellies hug
before we hug
Archana Kapoor Nagpal (India)
blind date
a schoolgirl sees
her teacher
Vessislava Savova (Bulgaria)
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at the therapists
talking and talking
about his problems
Lavana Kray (Romania)
water bill
held by
the camel magnet
Hole in the wallet

And on the money tree
New leaves
Miroslava Slavnaya (Russia)
a young bride
the house smells like
cookies
Gergana Yaninska (Bulgaria)
tea time
my grandma makes
her 100th birthday cake
Hristina Pandjaridis
(Bulgaria)
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I keep the mirror dusty

my island
of eternal youth
All Souls Day.

Papa says Cheers!
from his last photo.
Zornitza Harizanova (Bulgaria)
a number two cut

down both sides
his eyes
the same color
as his Dads
Anne Curran (New Zealand)
sitting
at my writing desk
the movement
of the sun from
Esc to End
Senryu booklet
a fly trying to read
between the lines
Vasile Moldovan (Romania)
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my buddy, the dog

brought his girlfriends, the fleas
to the bedroom
Vincenzo Adamo (Italy)
truck stop
free shower
with diesel fuel
David Oats (USA)
ice bucket challenge

the flash mob spreads
like the water circles
Iriewani (Japan)
without any consequences

I slept through
the earthquake
Iriewani (Japan)
the librarian
unbuttons her collar
romance section
Terri French (USA)
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my granddaughter
teaches me how to read
the e-books
Irina Khvoschina (Russia)
last train
on a way out I wake up
a stranger
a ladybug
slips into my luggage
Israeli borders
Rita Odeh (Israel)
brief encounter
the clock weights
play for time
departing train
I am waving farewell
to strangers, too
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Though saying
god and country
privatizing the army.
Asaoka Shinji (Taiwan)
kicking the tyre

I ask the mechanic:
dont blow it!
after work
I look so much like you
the willow tree!
my birthday
remembered only
by facebook
Mary Sue (USA)
dish du jour
the waiter serves
a chesty cough
Dina Strelnikova (Russia)
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no matter how hard

I try to drown my thoughts in the glass
they keep resurfacing
a bottle for myself

and a bottle as a gift
weigh differently
holiday evening
the fridge cant hold all
what god provided
Shen (Russia)
end of the day

if only the remote control
could mute my wife
emails
his initials
a mirror image of mine
Vessislava Savova (Bulgaria)
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looking
for my eyeglasses
I find my keys
tripped
over the love stone
I break my heart
Grandpa (Japan)
my students and I
same from the waist down
blue jeans
penniless
travelling around the world
with google maps
Antonietta Losito (Italy)
conquered half of Europe

crushing the enemy armies
my mosquito repeller
Sham Poe (Israel)
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sleepless
all wedding night long
her lovely snores
typing
with one finger
the pianist
its harder and harder

as the years go passing by
to lift the corners of the lips
Clown (Russia)
grandmother
patted my head and instantly
sorrow disappeared
Tatjana Debeljaki (Serbia)
evening beach
a toddler is clutching
the peach stone
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A flock of star fish

is floating slowly
along the blue sky
it dragged on for so long

but finished so quickly
patriotic talk-show
next on the TV schedule
an American movie
Alexey Fan (Russia)
memorials
on the courthouse plaza
room for maybe one more war
Barry George (USA)
hot beach babe

so many stares are stretching
to shake the sand off
divorce
the friends are, too
divided
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house warming
the cat sniffs around
the movers bend their elbows
Elina Vitomskaya (Russia)
Kitchen argument
The kettle spits out
Boiling water
Im smiling back
at the moron
in the mirror
that one cloud

not lined in silver
eviction notice
Terri French (USA)
Depression
Calling for help
Cognac, vodka, home brew
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saxophone
left lying on the piano
hot night
Sunday cleaning
together with rubbish
goes an old broom
my eyesight got worse

but I stopped seeing my wrinkles
in the mirror
Young Pioneer (Russia)
in my mailbox
Life and science
with the crossword solved
Radka Mindova (Bulgaria)
hit publication
another fly
glued to the newspaper
Ivan Krotov (Russia)
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endless rain
the dry leaves have gathered
three hundred likes
Peter Savchenko (Russia)
choked up
on second-hand smoke
the old mans laugh
Anne Curran (New Zealand)
after making sure

that my wife is in a good mood
I shout make me some tea!
Grandpa (Japan)
museum silence
Carmens red skirt
with a moth hole
On a sight-seeing bus
the sleeping men awake
to watch the condors.
Carol Stein (USA)
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having a clean dream

about an attractive woman
damn Im old
David Oats (USA)
only those
who are uglier than the bride
are asked to be bridesmaids
Grandpa (Japan)
lace lingerie
such nonsense until
it gets banned
Dina Strelnikova (Russia)
a gypsy woman
dangling the golden bracelets
asks for change
winter evening,
between Mercedes and Geo
cat chooses warm one
David Oats (USA)
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First night.
My baby and I
breathe in the same rhythm.
Zornitza Harizanova (Bulgaria)
woodpecker
i turn another page
of The haiku handbook
Kanchan Chatterjee (India)
drop of clear water

trembles on my palm
in the rhythm of my heart
good gas price

abandoned store
David Oats (USA)
crisis
men in the caf
are reading papers
Diana Petkova (Bulgaria)
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a funeral oration
the microphone goes dead
Carol Stein (USA)
calling the theatre

while waiting on hold
I start hating Mozart
La Pen (Russia)
men cheat
even on the
shopping list
Persian rag
a part of the wall is 40 years
without wallpaper
Alexander Novozhilov (Russia)
new neighbour
my mourning dress
on the scarecrow
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in the shade
grandpa is sipping green tea
grafting the fruit trees
Tatjana Debeljaki (Serbia)
tattoo
on the burnt back
the ink sun
Maya Kisyova (Bulgaria)
sea shore
the footprints
dont return
Pepa Odjakova (Bulgaria)
Ive got a headache

telling my wife when Im back
from the mistress
Vincenzo Adamo (Italy)
radiation
crosses the border
without problems
Iriewani (Japan)
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mothers dementia
and what I also dont
want to remember
Miriam Sagan (USA)
measuring time
minute by minute
with our heartbeats
Gordana Culibrk (Serbia)
I keep my watch
showing London Time
vacation savour
standing
where theyve put me
gate barrier
carnival ride
must be fifty inches tall
boy on tiptoes
David Oats (USA)
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I like women
otherwise, my life
is problem free
getting a kick
out of senryu, almost like
out of drugs
Japarisian (Japan/France)
after minor quake

I break the vase
aunties gift
the flea jumps

from a cat to a cat
into the new world
stardust
apples
on the garden path
Irina Konovalova (Russia)
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autumn premiere
coughing
in the stalls
Alexey Fan (Russia)
I like her senryu

without reading it
if she is hot
home library
very high up
the world classics
Radka Mindova (Bulgaria)
wailing wall
a new-born baby
next door
moving home
so many useful things
are now useless
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the dog
slowly but surely
housetrains us
David Oats (USA)
school is out
parents make out
stealthily
La Pen (Russia)
daisies
I remember when
you loved me
Debbie Strange (Canada)
we always have
a good laugh at the mall
I should have known
when he tried on
a red stiletto
Christine L. Villa (USA)
blind date
another dialogue
in the dark
Archana Kapoor Nagpal (India)
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looking at women
he tries them on
like in the store
Andrey List (Russia)
everything melts
only the shop girls eyes
are cold
Ivan Krotov (Russia)
rough morning
a carton of kefir
cools my hand
factory gates
spit out the night shift
into the mist
using an expression
my father used
understanding it
Norman Darlington (Ireland)
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nothing
is set in stone
snowman in the backyard
summer is over
my love is
no sweat
Radion Khuzin (Russia)
breathing next to me
it might be a dream
or a cat
Youyou (Russia)
biting her lip

she looks at the price, and then
again at the shoes
asst, temp
behind the ancient walls
new job cuts*
Shen (Russia)
* In Russian, means both abbreviations and redundancies
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burashi
Musings over the hodgepodge: Interview with Takeshi Mizuno
Takeshi Mizuno, a Japanese poet and copywriter, was born in 1965 in Tokyo to a
copywriter and an illustrator. Inspired by his dads friend, a copywriter too, he started
composing senryu. In 1991, Takeshi started writing for Mainichi Shimbun and became
one of the regular contributors to the most popular senryu column in Japan Nakahatas
Banno Senryu. In 1996 he became the editor-in-chief of the Nakahata Fanbook
a quarterly magazine published by the Banno Senryu Club sponsored by Mainichi
Shimbun.
In 2002, his senryu won the senryu of the year award:
whats deeper
hatred
or love?
Takeshi is the author of the book 300 Selected Senryu by Takeshi Mizuno and a coauthor (together with Saki Kono) of Lets start right now! The easiest text book of
haiku and senryu.
He is regularly invited to participate in TV shows dedicated to senryu.
In 2014, Takeshi became the editor of the senryu column Takeshis Banno Senryu
in the Tokyo newspaper Town News (), and the administrator of the
Facebook page Banno Senryu for Gaijin.
Takeshi-san kindly agreed to share his opinions on modern Japanese senryu, and
Banno Senryu in particular.
***
k: To start with, lets make clear what Banno actually means
TM: The word banno has two meanings: almighty and stuff for all occasions. In
the case of Banno Senryu, banno does not imply that the authors of these senryu are
the best and almighty. It is a metaphor for a nabe cooking pot that can be used for all
occasions, in which you can cook whatever you like.
k: What do you think differentiates Banno Senryu from senryu columns published in other
major newspapers? Is there some sort of rivalry among them?
TM: The main characteristic of Nakahatas Banno Senryu is its multi-purposeness, its
omnivorousness. You can find all kinds of senryu there from more high-brow haikulike poems to jokes, grunts and mutterings. All kinds of humour are present in senryu,
and Banno accepts them all: from witty comments to funny puns and wordplays, from
pokes and nudges to subtle irony.
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There are three main newspapers in Japan (Mainichi, Yomiuri and Asahi), and all three
of them have their own senryu columns. The senryu column in Asahi is edited by its
ex-reporter, and the poems that are published there usually reflect the newspapers
stance on various topics and general tone. The Banno Senryu column, by contrast, has
nothing to do with the policy of the newspaper, its leanings and allegiances. Yomiuri
Shimbun publishes only senryu on current events and completely ignores poems on
personal day-to-day life.
There is no rivalry worth talking about, because Mainichi is far ahead of any other
newspaper in the country in terms of submissions it receives (about 50,000 a month!).
By the way, Asahi and Yomiuri sometimes cite Banno Senryu, but not the other way
round.
k: As you mentioned, many newspapers in Japan including the major ones publish senryu.
Why did you choose Mainichi? What attracted you there most?
TM: I chose Mainichi primarily because of Takashi Nakahata, the editor of the senryu
column. Not only is he a copywriter (like me), but he is one of the best and most wellknown copywriters in Japan. So I figured that, if the column is edited by such a person,
it will definitely be interesting. Thats how I started writing for Mainichi in 1991.
k: Does the newspaper receive submissions from foreigners? Is it known in your circles at all
that people write senryu (and haiku) outside Japan?
TM: Japanese poets who live abroad sometimes submit their poems to Mainichi. Apart
from that, I only know of Koreans, who submit their senryu (and some of them get
published). By the way, one Korean professor uses Banno Senryu as teaching materials
in his work. I know that people in other countries are interested in senryu. I wonder
how many of them there are. I guess, compared to haiku, senryu must be more difficult
for them, because your view of the world depends on where you live. (After Takeshi-san
had already given us this interview, we learnt that Mainichi Shimbun published the first senryu
by a Western author our own Ms. Valeria Simonova-Cecon).
k: As far as we know, all authors, whose poems are published in Mainichi Shimbun, have a
rating. Can you tell us about it in more detail, please?
TM: Banno Senryu has its own points system. Every published poem receives 1 point.
If the poem is selected as a senryu of the day (in which case it is published first
and marked by a special sign a smiley face), it receives 5 points. When the author
collects 50 points, (s)he gets the right to select three poems (without Nakahatas
approval) to be published in a special mini-column next to the Banno Senryu Column.
From that moment (s)he is back to zero and starts all over again. Now every time (s)he
has to collect 100 points and each time it happens (s)he can select one senryu to be
published in the same way.
In addition to this, Nakahata-san selects a few best senryu poems of the month (one
1st place and three 2nd places) among poems that have been selected as senryu
of the day. Out of twelve senryu of the month Nakahata selects the best senryu of
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the year. Senryu of the month and senryu of the year do not receive, however, any
additional points they are outside of the point system.
k: How many points have you collected so far?
TM: About 1,600, but who counts at the end of the day its not that important :).
k: Does Takashi Nakahata write senryu himself?
TM: No, he does not. He writes haiku, though, and quite good ones. His motto is
creative selection. Here is Nakahata-sans one and only senryu:
I make a living
selecting
other peoples poems
k: In 1996 you became the editor-in-chief of the Banno Senryu Clubs magazine Nakahatas
Fanbook. What is this magazine dedicated to?
TM: Its a quarterly magazine (one issue per season). Its main objective is to facilitate
a two way dialogue between the columns editor Takashi Nakahata and Banno Senryu
fans as well as senryu writers from all over Japan.
In every issue, one of the authors becomes a so-called hit-maker the star of
the issue, and Nakahata himself conducts an interview with him or her. Nakahata
also selects 55 senryu by this author that are published in the Fanbook. It is more
prestigious to become one of these hit-makers than to win the senryu of the year
award. So far, more than 80 people have become hit-makers.
In addition to this interview, the magazine publishes the current rating of the authors
and letters from the readers.
k: As the editor-in-chief of the Fanbook, you take part in all the interviews with the hitmakers. Who among them, do you think, was the most interesting?
TM: My favourite hit-maker, I guess, was Mizuhara Setsuko (). She has recently
switched to haiku, but before that she wrote wonderful senryu. Mizuhara-san grew up
far from Tokyo on one of the islands of the Oki archipelago, where her family still lives.
Long ago these islands were used as a place of exile for rebels and deposed emperors.
Nowadays, Mizuhara-san lives in Tokyo, but many of her poems contain references to
her homeland and happy moments from her childhood, which will never come back.
drifting off
she suddenly looks back
a paper doll
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(This poem is about the dolls nagashibina, which children make by themselves for the Girls
Festival Hinamatsuri. They are placed in special straw baskets and sent off into the open sea.
According to legend, these dolls take away with them all illnesses and misfortunes together
with the evil spirits that caused them k).
yours and mine

spinning in the washing machine
the previous day
my dad watches
how I hug
someone elses child
every summer
I hold my breath
watching my father dive
granddaughters song
granny joins in
mummy continues
k: You mentioned that the Fanbook is published quarterly. Is there some sort of connection
with the seasons? Can you tell us about the importance of seasons in senryu, please?
TM: Senryu is a completely free genre when it comes to topics. Therefore, one can write
about nature too, of course. However, if haiku is written having in mind that people
are part of nature, one of senryus principles is that nature can be like people. For
example, here is one of my senryu:
I like flowers
they never ask
for a loan
Here, flowers is a metaphor for people.

k: Does Banno Senryu have its own branded promotional items?
TM: Yes, it does. It has, for example, specially lined notepads, where one can write five
senryu per page in traditional Japanese style (the number 5 is symbolic for Banno Senryu
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because it is customary to submit up to five senryu at a time on a postcard k). We also

have plastic folders with Bannos logo a smiley face on them and pencils, as well
as special annual charts with authors ratings, drawn with the calligraphy brush. By the
way, it was me who came up with ideas for all these items.
k: Some members of the clubs promoting traditional senryu, or true senryu, as they call
them, are not big fans of masukomi-senryu (senryu published in mass communications
newspapers, social networks and internet forums k). They believe that they are not deep
enough. What do you think about that? Have you come across similar opinions from other
senryu poets?
TM: You are right, there are many people among those writing true senryu, who
think that way. I do not want to criticise them. I think that there are interesting and
boring senryu both among true senryu and masukomi-senryu. And what does true
senryu even mean? I think that labels like that (true haiku, true ramen, true anime, etc.)
are quite questionable.
k: The majority of the members of the traditional senryu clubs are senior citizens. Young
people are considerably outnumbered there. Whats the situation among the masukomisenryu writers? Do young people submit their works to the Banno Senryu column?
TM: Thats true, Japanese society in general is getting older, and this has already
become a national problem. Among the authors of Banno Senryu there are both old
and young. For example, the age range of the attendees of the dedicated senryu
workshops that I host regularly is between 30 and 70.
And I am already forty nine. But it is still considered young, right?
k: Of course! There are a lot of haiku contests in Japan for children. Some of the adult haiku
contests (national and international) also have separate childrens sections. One can easily
notice that the childrens haiku are quite different to the adults ones they are more direct
and perceptive. Are there any childrens senryu contests in Japan, and if so, do you think that
childrens senryu are different to adults ones?
TM: The childrens senryu are very natural, devoid of any affectation; they describe
the world as it is. Sometimes there are good ones, but generally its an exception. Its
important that senryu contain some irony or sarcasm, which children usually do not
have. There are no kids among the Banno Senryu contributors.
k: Does it mean that you think that sarcasm is mandatory in senryu?
TM: No, some senryu are sarcastic or poking, some of them are not, but children
normally do not have sarcasm at all.
k: Besides senryu, you also write haiku and tanka. Which of these genres is your favourite?
TM: For me, the most important thing is my poetic individuality. It does not matter that
much, what form I use: tanka, haiku or senryu. What matters for me is that I am able to
express myself in any of these forms. If you count my works, however, the majority of
them will be senryu, of course. Perhaps they better suit my individuality.
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k: The line between haiku and senryu in the West is often blurred and many magazines
publish them together. In Japan, the distinction, as far as we know, is clearer. Despite that
you recently wrote a book about distinctions between haiku and senryu.
TM: My book is titled Lets start right now! The easiest text book of haiku and senryu
( ). My co-author was a young
poet Saki Kono (), who is 31 years old. Those who want to look her up can visit
her page in Wikipedia. To be honest with you, there are not that many people in Japan,
who know exactly the distinctions between haiku and senryu. The target audience of
our book are people who are about fifty years old. In Japan people retire when they
are sixty, so they start thinking about what to do, when they do not have to go to
work anymore, already in their fifties. Thats the audience we wrote our book for. Our
book contains two check-lists that can help determine whether you lean more towards
haiku or towards senryu.
44
Haijin
Senryuist
You are interested in the names of plants

and flowers
You subconsciously observe human behaviour
You take photography seriously
People say that you are a quick wit
You are sensitive to the changes of seasons
You are sensitive to changes in fashion, current

events, fads and popular stuff
When you read a book you visualise the

scenes and characters
When you read a book you imagine which actors

you would cast for the movie
You eat the things you like most at the end
You eat the things you like

most before everything else
You are considered to be a good listener
You do not like when people interrupt you
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You try to forget things that you do not like,

things that upset you
If you do not like something, you say so openly
You do not like arguments and fights
You remember your first love very well
Officially, there are about two million haijin in Japan (every fifth person), about
300,000 tanka poets and 300,000 senryu writers. However, according to the unofficial
statistics, there are way more than two million people who occasionally write senryu
and participate in various senryu contests.
By the way, one of the topics of our book is erotic senryu, which used to be called
suetsumuhana ( jp. safflower). There are quite a few of them among Banno
Senryu. Here are some of mine:
how difficult it is
to improvise
in the bed scenes
for dragonflies
its not easy to love each other
while flying
Nowadays, these poems are called bareku ( jp. dirty poems). Despite
quite risky topics, all these poems have been published in one of the major Japanese
newspapers. Well, yeah, its not a very common thing to come across such poems in
the text books. The sensei of the true senryu, I guess, will be cross.
k: You are also the editor of the monthly senryu column Takeshis Banno Senryu in the
Tokyo newspaper Town News (). Can you tell us about your criteria for
choosing senryu for publication, please?
TM: Above all, Id like to see original senryu in my column. According to Takashi
Nakahata, It does not make much sense to write senryu about something that has
been already written about a long time ago. Lets write about something that only we
can only now write about.
For example, the so-called otaku senryu (senryu for geeks obsessed with manga, anime
and video games k), seem to reflect the reality of the day-to-day life of modern
young people very well. I think that they are quite unique in the way they provide a
fresh perspective.
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k: It has become customary since the death of Karai Senryu (d.1790) to give the title
Senryu to the most distinguished senryu poet of the generation. Two sons of Karai Senryu
were called Senryu II and Senryu III. Who is the current holder of this title and what is his
role in the senryu community?
TM: The name of the current, fifteenth, holder of this title is Wakia Senryu. He is an
advisor to the association Tokyo Senryukai () and the president of the
Society for Senryu Studies (, Senryu Gakkai). He is quite old and dedicates
more of his time to studying senryu, than writing senryu. As a matter of fact, not many
people, even in Japan, know of a person with such a title and what he does for the
senryu community.
k: There are many senryu clubs, associations and study groups in Japan; a lot of books
and TV programs are dedicated to this genre, while in in the West not much information
is widely available about senryu. What would you recommend to our readers, who are
interested in senryu?
TM: There are three main things that everyone needs to become better: read senryu,
write senryu and discuss senryu. I would advise to exchange opinions about senryu
not only via the Internet, but also in real life. Only two people are needed to start a
group, then others will join, and the group will grow gradually. That would be ideal.
k: Do you think it makes sense to promote senryu outside the usual circle of senryu writers
and readers?
TM: Yes, by all means. For example, I co-operate with one dentist, who uses my senryu
to decorate his surgery (project Hahaha Teeth Hahaha no ha in Japanese k).
When you sit in the dentists chair, you lie almost horizontally in it. This dentist has
attached the cards with my senryu on everything to deal with teeth, toothache and
dentists visits to the ceiling and the walls.
Here is a couple of them:
more unbearable
than the toothache
anticipation
blind date
the dentist checks out
the bite first
k: You also participate in the new Facebook project Banno Senryu for Gaijin, where
selected poems from the Mainichi senryu column are published with Russian, English and
Italian translations. What expectations do you have regarding this project?
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TM: I think it would be great if more gaijin participated in this project, so that it
becomes even more popular. We can also take a look at the senryu of the month
competitions and publish the results.
***
In conclusion, we would like to present translations of one hundred senryu from the
book 300 Selected Senryu by Takeshi Mizuno, some with commentaries by rshik. All
these senryu have been published in the Mainichi Shimbuns Banno Senryu column.
whenever I look
he sleeps at work
Great Buddha
Inemuri ( jp. sleeping while present) a widely accepted practice of

taking a nap at work. Not only is it allowed, people are even encouraged to sleep at
their place of work, as it demonstrates how hardworking and dedicated they really are.
once a day
he polishes his badge
member of the parliament
even the reporters

dont lash out at him
dangerous criminal
its kinda unsettling

when your exmoves into the neighbourhood
yakuza boss
talks babyish
to his doggy
kotatsu
designed by
Pierre Cardin
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Kotatsu (, ) a traditional piece of Japanese furniture, a low wooden

table frame covered by a futon or a heavy blanket and a table top. Underneath is a heat
source, often built into the table itself.
Paris
Ive never been there
but I love it so much
Japanese people idealise Paris they consider it to be the most wonderful city in the
entire world. When they come to visit it, though, the reality can be too overwhelming
for them, and many Japanese tourists suffer from an acute psychiatric disorder, which
is called Paris syndrome. The Japanese embassy in Paris operates a 24-hour hot line for
the most severe cases.
more beautiful
than the masterpieces in it
the museum building
when she stood up

she turned out to be quite tall
an old watchwoman
women take offense

when you address them
sempai!
Sempai () is a polite way to address superiors and seniors (at work, at school, etc.).
Some women, however, may consider it to be an inappropriate reference to their age
chit-chat
of a hot woman
is never tiring
what a pity!
the flu I caught from her
is now gone
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normal position
and whats so abnormal
about the others?
What is meant is the missionary position. In Christianity, for example, all other
positions were considered from the Beast and were punishable by expiation. For
example, the position woman on top was punishable by penances for three years
and numerous daily prostrations.
after lovemaking
my satisfied body is illuminated
by the fridge light
the first sex of the year

turned out to be
the first dream of the year
First dream of the year and first sex of the year are official kigo (season words)
used in haiku writing.
in the morning
the mirror delivers me
a sermon
like a real man

without any excuses
I prostrate before my wife
Dogeza ( jp. sitting right on the ground) a pose of prostration, when one
kneels and bows to touch the floor with ones forehead. The purpose of dogeza is to
demonstrate ones deepest remorse and apology.
well done me!

if I could I would
embrace myself
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already going
through job vacancies
the new employee
its my lucky day

fewer than five hairs
on my pillow
the sisters
having glanced at the photos
swapped their dates
This senryu talks about the practice of so-called omiai ( jp. matchmaking),
a pre-arranged (usually by the parents) introductory meeting of a young woman and
a young man.
Having looked at the photos of their potential husbands, the sisters corrected the
parents choice.
our shadows
meet
before we do
beaten up
by the bouquet
I gave her
such a pleasure
to hear flattering gossip
about myself
the moment we meet

my friend offers me
a minty chewing gum
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recently
you ate garlic
the fortune teller mouths
the young wifes menu

contains only dishes
with complex names
The new wife does not have a lot of cooking experience, but she has a thing for
fashionable and exotic dishes. Even though her menu boasts delicacies like risotto alla
milanese andbistecca fiorentina, they all taste pretty much the same
sukiyaki
is no longer a delicacy
for children
Sukiyaki () a traditional stew-type Japanese dish, prepared and served in

the nabe pot. All the odds and ends found in the fridge go there. Years ago, when
Japan was not such a prosperous country, sukiyaki was considered to be a real feast,
especially by children. Nowadays, it does not impress anybody.
both so easy
to boil rice and to push
the nuclear button
unbearable
those meaningful pauses
in the politicians speech
Japanese culture is the culture of ma, of the empty space and suggestiveness. The
pauses between the words can be more meaningful than the words themselves.
Pauses in the speeches of politicians, however, are meaningless and annoying.
relationships with friends

are worse than relationships
with my enemies
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how would
a walking Buddha look,
I wonder?
Daibutsu ( jp. Giant Buddha) is the Japanese term for large statues of Buddha,
the largest of which can be found at Asuka-dera temple. All these sculptures are of a
sitting Buddha.
driving up to
the Basho memorials
in a taxi
During his journeys across Japan, Matsuo Basho experienced cold, hunger and many
other challenges. Many places that he visited during his travels have little memorials
or plaques with haiku that he wrote there. It is very popular among modern haijin to
travel along his routes, but not many of them literally follow his steps and do it on
foot.
a vagabond
who once wanted to become
an adventurer
showing the way

to the foreigner
I thank him
It is customary in Japan not only to thank the person who did a favour, but also to
thank the person who received one.
its not the Japanese language

that is ambiguous
its the Japanese
saijiki
is an interesting dictionary
of a dead language
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Saijiki () a reference book of season words (kigo) used by haiku writers.
katsuobushi
looks like
a piece of art
Katsuobushi () dried and smoked bonito tuna. The cooking process is very long
and complicated first the fish fillet is boiled, then its dry-cured, then processed with
a special fungus. The result is a dry and hard stick with polished sides.
so unhomely
this house that has won
the best design award
my back
itching so terribly
and no ones around
Santa Claus
is smoking in the shadow
of a vending machine
true
visual kei
enka singers
Visual Kei () literally mean visual style. Its the name of the Japanese
rock-music style, characterised by extensive use of makeup, complicated hairdos,
bright costumes and often androgynous aesthetics. The musicians try to convey their
message not only through music and lyrics, but also through their appearance. Enka
() a genre of a Japanese song that appeared after WWII, similar to American
country music. Nowadays enka can often mean any traditional romantic song.
While visual kei targets mostly young people, enka is typically enjoyed by older people.
The performers of enka are also usually people of the older generation, who nevertheless
like to dress extravagantly and use bright makeup.
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without makeup
this senior schoolgirl looks
so much younger
first date
I do not ask
why she is late
prettier
than the view from the window
your reflection
without saying what I wanted to say

I just threw a stone
in the river
this guy
on a roaring bike
is so quiet
dropped dead
from one look of my wife
the mosquito
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
became
my first kiss
if he starts being cocky

it means that
he is recovering from his illness
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a telescope
can also be used to look at
the stars and the moon
And not only at the hot babe in the house across the road.
I like women
which means I like
my wife too
in the next life

Id like to be born
as a bra
alone
in the mixed-sex bath house
the moon and I
a cat
howling somewhere
like Noriko Awaya
Noriko Awaya a soprano singer, called the queen of blues in Japan.
a celebrity
but not big enough
to wear sunglasses
she doesnt
look like a woman
just like a female
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bad luck
the guide in the tourist bus
is dark and gloomy
There is an expression in the Japanese language a woman / a man, whose mere

appearance causes rain (/) and an opposite one a woman / a man, whose
presence improves the weather (/).
If your tourist guide looks gloomier than the rain cloud, the entire trip is doomed.
there are people

among foreigners, too
who dont say NO
The Japanese people usually do not say directly YES or NO they imply it
indirectly. Because of this, many foreigners say that it is very difficult to understand
what Japanese people actually mean.
if I were in my shoes
I would not lend money
to someone like me
the bank clerk

bows greeting
my wallet
I hold my breath
while my wife examines
the bank statement
the abyss
behind my back
pushes me forward
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there was a time
a bed appeared
whenever we hugged
like a paperweight
on the farewell note
a wedding ring
eyes
of the frog
who saw the ocean
There is an old saying in Japan a frog who lives in a well knows nothing about the
ocean (), which is often used to encourage someone to
broaden his or her horizons.
uncharted territory
the space
behind the fridge
whenever I come
its always the same
salad of the day
This senryu is about the dish of the day in the restaurant, where the author is a
regular.
my job is
to go back to the bar
for my bosss shoes
a dog
is much busier
than a cat
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to keep myself
warm at night
I got married
Japanese people often switch off heating at night to save on the energy bills.
3 years after the wedding

I started to regret buying
a double bed
my wife
comes even to my dreams
to start a fight
if both are drunk

they immediately start to speak
the same language
Japanese DJ
with a British
accent
the shorter the person

the higher
his head
sumo wrestlers have

the most stylish referees
in the world
Gyoji () are referees in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. Even nowadays they
dress in traditional medieval outfits and hold a special fan. Google the pictures!
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my daughters
favourite chair
dads shoulders
during massage
we all have
dumb faces
mixed-sex bath house

my head turns
to every door squeak
and I thought
that all foreigners
have big ones
Hearts, of course
cleanest
in the world
Japanese bums
I scrub my hand
shaken
by a politician
already in the train car

I suddenly feel embarrassed
about passionate farewells
After a passionate parting with friends and relatives at the railway station, the author
is embarrassed about his expression of feelings.
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it breaks my heart
to see how obediently my daughter
takes her medicine
big family
judging by the shoes
in the hallway
as for the puzzles

its better to solve them alone
than with someone else
we conquered space
but we still cant manage
to understand each other
from heaven
like the gods message
pigeon crap
In Japanese mythology, birds are the messengers between the world of people and
the world of gods.
both
atom bomb and candy
invented by people
sticking out
of the bishops sleeve
a calculator
wifes bad habits

as the years pass become
mans bad habits
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the reason
I became a father was my vanity
in using the L-sized condom
how kind of my daughter!

she never asks me to help her
with maths
my soul?
right now its in
my left molar
in the video store

I am immediately drawn
to the darkest corner
Unlike regular shops, video stores keep their best stuff (adult movies) out of sight.
I learn
that my company went bust
from the morning paper
my occupational disease
cured
by unemployment
New Year
also in the countries
torn by the war
in a thousand years
these graffiti will become
cultural heritage
Banno Senryu website: http://mainichi.jp/feature/senryu/
Banno Senryu on Facebook: www.facebook.com/banryuu.club
Banno Senryu for Gaijin: www.facebook.com/gaijinbannosenryu
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Submission Guidelines
The journal of senryu and kyoka Ershik is published in Russian on a quarterly basis.
In addition to this, once a year we publish a special issue, where we present selected
English versions (or English originals as the case may be) of the poems previously
published in the regular issues.
We consider original senryu and kyoka as well as essays and articles on the related
topics in English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Ukrainian
that have not previously appeared in edited publications or in public internet forums,
groups and communities. Poems previously published on personal web-sites, blogs or
in closed internet forums, groups and communities are welcome.
One poem in every regular issue is awarded an Editors Choice prize of 575 roubles
(approximately 17 USD) or equivalent in other currencies.
Please submit your works (not more than 10 per issue) in the body of an e-mail to
info@ershik.com together with your name or pen-name. If you would like your poems
to be published anonymously, please let us know accordingly. Acceptance notifications
are sent to the authors by 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December for the regular
issues and by 15 March for the special English issue.
By submitting your works to Ershik you agree that they can be published on Ershiks
web-site www.ershik.com as well as in the electronic and printed versions of the
magazine at any time. All other rights are returned to the authors upon publication.
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Submission Guidelines ............................................ 62

the flea jumps

senryu and Kyoka

wee hours hospital ward

looking at a strange womans

a journey of 1000 miles

sweating and cursing

through the lit window

missing the movie

far off thunder

The bill poster

after a long sleep

dive in! they shout already

The cuckoo song

basket of fake fruit

for twenty minutes

the sun in the sea

were they dyed by dawn?

a fat guy taking up sport

Hole in the wallet

I keep the mirror dusty

All Souls Day.

a number two cut

my buddy, the dog

ice bucket challenge

without any consequences

kicking the tyre

no matter how hard

a bottle for myself

end of the day

conquered half of Europe

its harder and harder

A flock of star fish

it dragged on for so long

hot beach babe

that one cloud

my eyesight got worse

after making sure

having a clean dream

drop of clear water

good gas price

calling the theatre

Ive got a headache

after minor quake

the flea jumps

I like her senryu

biting her lip

* In Russian, means both abbreviations and redundancies

yours and mine

Here, flowers is a metaphor for people.

because it is customary to submit up to five senryu at a time on a postcard k). We also

You are interested in the names of plants

You subconsciously observe human behaviour

You take photography seriously

People say that you are a quick wit

You are sensitive to the changes of seasons

You are sensitive to changes in fashion, current

When you read a book you visualise the

When you read a book you imagine which actors

You eat the things you like most at the end

You eat the things you like

You are considered to be a good listener